The infamous American pranksters known as The Yes Men launched an elaborate hoax Monday targeting Canada's stance in climate-change negotiations at Copenhagen.

Protesters run off with a balloon representing the volume of one metric ton of carbon dioxide during a demonstration outside parliament, rear, in Copenhagen Monday Dec. 14, 2009.

By:Allan WoodsOttawa Bureau, Published on Mon Dec 14 2009

COPENHAGEN –The infamous American pranksters known as The Yes Men launched an elaborate hoax Monday targeting Canada's stance in climate-change negotiations at Copenhagen.

The multi-pronged ruse tripped up a number of news organizations, including the Globe and Mail, the Huffington Post and Edmonton talk-radio host Dave Rutherford.

"The idea was to confuse the Canadian government, which set up a war room to positively spin their position in the debate even though everyone here knows that their position is a cruel joke," Yes Men member Mike Bonanno told the Associated Press.

The New York-based group's web site states their goal is ``Impersonating big-time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them."

Past targets have included U.S. President George W. Bush, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the World Trade Organization and Dow Chemical.

The group is holding a news conference Tuesday in Copenhagen, but most of its chaos has already been achieved.

Unfortunately for the left-of-centre online newspaper, it too fell for part of the hoax.

An article that appeared to have been posted on the web site of the prestigious business newspaper the Wall Street Journal found the news significant, referring to Canada's new position as a major shift to the deadlocked negotiations. The impasse was most clearly illustrated when Monday African nations walked away from talks over the developed world's desire to abandon the Kyoto Protocol, the first global climate change deal signed in 1997.

Only one problem. Canada's position remains firm. Intransigent even. The new policy was a hoax, the newspaper article was a fake. The whole thing was a stunt.

The fuss began with an email purporting to come from Environment Canada, complete with a telephone number and contact name at the agency's headquarters in Gatineau, Que.

It also included made up quotes from Environment Minister Jim Prentice, a former land claims negotiator who his representing Canada at the talks until Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives.

The "plan" was dubbed Agenda 2020 and on top of the 40 per cent emissions cuts from that year it committed to 80 per cent reductions by 2050.

There was also a "climate debt mechanism" — payments starting at 1 per cent of Canada's Gross Domestic Product, or $13-billion annually, and climbing to 5 per cent of national wealth by 2030. The cash was to go to emissions reduction programs and clean energy projects in Africa.

Several more phony news releases bearing the Environment Canada logo followed, including one that criticized the original fake. At least one major news outlet, the online Huffington Post, was pulled in by the ruse.

Here's what Prentice did not actually say about the plan: "We believe all people will benefit from an equitable climate deal that truly energizes the world economy."

Here's the official Canadian line on the hoax: "This is not a government of Canada press release," Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, wrote reporters here in an email. "Time would be better used by supporting Canada's efforts to reach an agreement instead of sending out hoax press releases. More time should be dedicated to playing a constructive role instead of childish pranks."

Soudas, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is coordinating the government's communications strategy here at the conference, initially lashed out at Steven Guilbeault, cofounder of Quebec-based Equiterre, of masterminding the stunt.

"Mr. Guilbeault clearly indicated that he is not the source of this spoof. Neither is Equiterre," the environmental group said later in a statement. "It is shameful that Office of the Prime Minister is making such accusations without any proof. Mr. Guilbeault and Equiterre are asking Dimitri Soudas to retract his accusations and to present his excuses."

Prior to that the two men got into a screaming match outside the Canadian delegation's officers in the Bella Center, where the conference is being held.

"I'm scandalized," Guilbeault said. "I demand an apology."

Soudas refused.

"You guys only came here to criticize Canada's position," he said in front of a crowd of reporters.

Prentice had still not publicly weighed in on the deception by late in the afternoon in Copenhagen, but his communications director was taking the hoax in stride.

"That's what happens when you've got thousands of people sort of mingling around in the halls with nothing to do while the negotiators are in negotiating," Bill Rodgers told The Canadian Press.

"All they do is try to pull whatever stunt they can to get attention."

It appears that even if the stunt had been real federal policy it would not be enough to nudge forward the talks taking place here. Sudanese negotiator Lumumba Di-Aping, the voice of the G77 and China, a bloc of 135 developing nations, said the position is "still well below what will save Africa by huge margins."

What he's calling for is a commitment to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C.

"Canada has to accept there must be substantial commitment. Canada has been one of the most non-compliant (Kyoto-bound developed) countries and they have to change that."

With files from The Canadian Press

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